Lusterless
by LavenderPhantom20
Summary: [Post episode 25] He stood up, stretching his weary bones. A noise could be heard down the hallway, it was stifled by the wood of the wall between them, but it was there nonetheless. Could it be...? [Parental!RoyEd] Please R&R it really means a lot to me! [Slightly AU]


_Hello all! Thanks for deciding to check out my story! This is my first Fullmetal Alchemist story I've actually posted, so I'm a bit nervous. I'm not so sure about the whole gist of the story, but I really hope you all like it! This is also my second post on this account, so don't go easy on me-I've been on this site for a few years with other accounts! Thank you!_

_This is non-yaoi as stated in my profile. :) Parental!RoyEd _

_Please R&R thank you! Also, please correct any of my mistakes, I'm not sure if I got the whole situation right. But please, don't be rude about it. :)_

**Lusterless**

It was the night after Hughes' death.

The dorms were quiet; uncomfortably silent. Nothing moved, the building didn't even breathe and creak as it normally did. There was no chirping of crickets, no _nothing. _Usually, even in the middle of the night, the slightest sounds could be heard; someone shuffling beneath their sheets, a low growl of a snore, maybe even some talking in their sleep. But tonight, things were different.

And Roy Mustang feared that things would never be the same.

The news of the death had deeply shaken Roy, and as he lay at three in the morning, hands tucked behind his head staring at the white ceiling, there was nothing to keep his mind off of the blatantly obvious fact: his best friend was dead.

Roy sighed as he rolled over, a mess of sheets getting tangled between his legs, a deep sigh emitting itself from his tired soul. He was so tired, yet he could not sleep. As he heaved another great sigh, he sat up, his ink black hair mussed on the top of its head, strands haphazardly going every which way.

_Well, it's obvious I'm not going to be able to sleep. I'll be up in a few hours anyway. _He gently shook his hair into place as he stood up, stretching his weary bones.

He dragged himself over to the door, but suddenly stopped, his hand hovering above the door knob. Was that- He paused, holding his breath as he listened closer. Yes, there it was again. Was that someone...?

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he slowly turned the door handle, being careful not to make any noise. As he stepped into the hallway, the horrible noise became louder, wrenching his heart in half. Yes, that was undoubtedly the distinct sound of someone crying.

A creak from the floor made him jump and he turned around to face Breda. The man looked more annoyed than usual, sleepily rubbing his eyes as he said in a slurred voice, "You heard it too? Damn kid's been going on for about an hour." He rolled his eyes.

Roy felt his eyebrow rise as it clicked. Edward. He was, after all, the only kid in the military.

He silently watched as Breda turned and advanced back into his room, covering his ears as he did so. Roy frowned. What would make the kid so upset that he would start doing _that?_

Contemplating the situation in his mind, Roy took a bold step towards Edward's door. A particularly loud wail burst through the wall, causing Roy to re-think his decision. How did Al not hear any of this...?

Ignoring the creaks coming from the floor, he kept going until he was right in front of the battered wooden door. The empty sobs tugged at his heart, and he couldn't help but feel bad for the boy. Hesitantly, he raised his knuckles to the door, lightly knocking.

"Edward?" he asked quietly, trying not to wake the _whole _dorm.

A stiffening silence came to his ears, and he knew that Edward was probably rubbing his swollen eyes on his sleeve by now, trying to conceal any traces of tears. The bed groaned as he heard Ed get up and his feet slowly padding to the door. As the door creaked open, Roy tried to look as professional as possible; no worried glances, no sympathetic stares, just cold and calculated, as he always was with the boy. He wouldn't want to give him a reason to think of him as a friend.

"What do ya want bastard?" he asked, his voice stuffy and lacking its usual enthusiasm.

"I just thought I heard something. I was making sure that everyone was okay." he said lamely. A sad excuse, but a professional one to say the least. Of _course _he had heard it. Hadn't the whole damn dorm heard it by now?

"Well, I didn't hear anything. Go back to bed." Edward said a little too quickly, averting his eyes to the floor.

Roy softened his voice.

"Edward..." he said in a gently commanding tone.

The boy was silent for a few moments before muttering something while examining the floor tiles.

"What was that?" he asked, but not in a mocking or mean tone. It was just a simple honest question.

"I said," Edward hesitated for a moment before looking his superior in the eyes, "I miss Hughes." he said tiredly, his voice sounding choked.

Roy sighed, and put his hands in his pajama pocket, looking intently at Edward.

"I know. I do too. But there isn't anything we can-" he stopped midway through his sentence as he watched plump tears begin to roll down the child's face, his hands clenched at his sides, his head tilted toward the ground.

He was in shock.

Sure, he had _heard _the kid cry, but never before had he seen it for himself...it truly was a...pathetic sight. His face was red with embarrassment and Roy felt as if he had invaded a very private moment and that he shouldn't be there to see it. He helplessly stood there as he watched his strongest subordinates break down before his eyes, and if it wasn't broken by then, he felt his heart snap in two.

Sobs echoed through the deserted hallway, and at a loss for what to do, Roy kindly pulled the boy in for a embrace. Surprisingly enough, he didn't struggle, he just buried his head into his superiors chest and openly cried.

"It'll be okay, Ed," he said softly, clutching the boy closer to his chest as he cried.

He murmured mindless words of comfort into the boy's ear, and stroked his golden locks, his every touch gentle and comforting. After a few minutes, his tears had finally dried and he looked up to the colonel and stood back, awkwardly searching for a place to rest his eyes.

"Um.." he said, self-consciously playing with his fingers, looking everywhere but the colonel's eyes.

"Edward." Roy said firmly. "Look at me."

Falteringly, Edward looked into his obsidian eyes, nerves numbing as fear took over.

"It wasn't your fault."


End file.
